The small reunion organised our university friend JK gave my sister J the opportunity to relive one of her wittiest comments. With my ex-boyfriend ST seated at the table quite close to TPR, she reminded everyone that her first comment on my new beau in 1983 was ‘Isn’t that ST, just a bit fatter?’

Meanwhile my attempts to encourage JK and JM to converse on the topic of the Netherlands fell flat. This was because JK was embarrassed that JM had brought me a bouquet of flowers, whereas he had not.